


Too Close for Comfort

by TheFishMeister



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-11
Updated: 2014-11-24
Packaged: 2018-02-17 00:20:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2290064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheFishMeister/pseuds/TheFishMeister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver and Felicity find themselves too close for comfort when they awaken pressed together in the trunk of a car.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Rude Awakening

It had been a quiet morning.

Felicity had been in the office since eight quietly working at her desk by Oliver’s office. She raised a large mug of tea to her lips without taking her eyes away from the screen in front of her and grimaced as the now cold liquid washed over her tongue.

“Ew gross, gross, gross!” she exclaimed.

She shivered returning the offending mug to her desk and reached for her phone, the screen lit up and her eyes widened as she saw that it was half past twelve already.

Still recovering from her encounter with the demon tea she slipped her phone into her bag and stretched, it felt amazing. Her white blouse ruffled and was pulled free from her tight dark blue pencil skirt which hugged her figure nicely. As she rose from her seat she returned the blouse to its rightful place and grabbed her jacket.

“We need to get a bell or something around here to prevent hard working Executive Assistants from starving to death in this glass prison of lies!” She mumbled, not as quietly as she had thought.

“…and now I’m talking to myself like a crazy person, way to go Felicity” she sighed.

As she headed for the elevator she contemplated lunch and the work she still had to complete before her day ended and she could return to the comfort of her chair in the Foundry. As she walked she turned to glance at Oliver’s desk, she’d seen him briefly this morning before he headed to a meeting and he’d looked exhausted.

Her brow furrowed as she contemplated ways she could ease his burden or even convince him to take a night off. Lunch. She should bring him lunch, something indulgent but not too sweet, it wouldn’t matter if he ate something sweet because he kept himself in pretty good shape, which she was aware of in a completely appropriate boss-assistant way, but he had never struck her as a guy with a sweet tooth.

As the elevator took her down to the parking lot an image assaulted her brain.

_Oliver’s rippling muscles flexing as she moved her hand over them, his hand on her waist, her shuddering as his body moved closer, his lips…_

“Whoa, where the hell did that come from!” she gasped…out loud, reaffirming her status as the crazy woman who asked empty elevators questions before lunch.

She pushed the image from her mind feeling the all too familiar pang of longing in her chest, which usually announced itself whenever her mind turned to him. Her face had turned crimson and she needed to get out of the building and clear her head before anyone asked her the reason for her discomfort.

The elevator doors opened and Felicity made her way towards her little car, mind still full of Oliver. Her hands rummaging through her purse searching for her keys, her fingers clasped them finally and she let out a sigh of relief. She hadn’t locked them in her car again.

_“You did what?” Diggle chuckled down the phone, she could hear the grin on his stupid face as she asked him to come and break into her car so she could get home that night._

_“Please help me out here Dig, I do not appreciate you laughing at me…it’s FREEZING OUT HERE!” She had snapped in her ‘loud’ voice. Of course 5 minutes later none other than CEO Oliver Queen had come down to see for himself after being tipped off by Dig, who was going to mysteriously lose everything on his computer later that same day, completely coincidental of course._

_“Need a hand?” Oliver asked strolling up to her gleefully. Felicity shot him a death glare which would have sent chills down the spine of any man._

_He had managed to unlock the door with little trouble after sufficient gloating and mocking but they never let her forget it._

As she reached for her door she became aware of a presence behind her, she swung her head around fight or flight kicking in. She came face to face with her reflection in a van window and sighed.

“I need a night off, all this danger is turning me into a nervous wreck” She sighed, glancing into the backseat of her car; A habit which she had developed ever since a dying Oliver had surprised her there, an experience she didn’t want to repeat.

The sound of the van door sliding open startled her, but not as much as the hand which came around her neck and pulled her in. She cried out and struggled feeling a pinch in her neck her eyes widened and darkness began to pull her under. The persons grip loosened as she lost control of her limbs and her vision faded out.

 

* * *

 

 

Oliver sighed as he left his morning meeting which had gone on much longer than anticipated leaving him frustrated and eager to catch up on the work which had been cluttering his desk for days.

He felt slightly disappointed to find Felicity absent upon his return; she always managed to lift his mood, especially on dull days such as this. He smiled to himself as he remembered her babbling on this morning about the need for a wider variety of tea bags in the building. She was so wonderfully amusing, he couldn’t imagine the dullness of his days had she not reluctantly agreed to be his Executive Assistant.

Oliver sat behind his desk and groaned eyeing the paperwork which had been deposited, and swiftly neglected, by him over the past few days. ‘Looks like lunch is out’ he thought to himself as he began.

He lost himself in the sea of paperwork set before him and hardly noticed the time snake by, tension building in his shoulders by the minute. He looked up to find that 3 hours had passed and Felicity had yet to return from, what he assumed was her lunch break. Oliver’s eyebrows creased as he double checked the time and pulled out his phone.

<Where are you?>He typed swiftly, he tried to quell the feeling of unease which was settling in his gut, an unfortunate side effect of the way they spent their nights. After 5 minutes of inactivity he called Diggle.

“Hey Dig, have you seen Felicity this afternoon? She isn’t answering her phone.” Oliver tried to remain in control and stem the flow of violent scenarios rushing through his head.

“Haven’t seen her man, but I’ll see if I can trace her”. The sound of keys tapping was audible as Diggle attempted to trace their young friend from the Foundry.

“Nothing.” He sighed as the software failed to reveal her whereabouts.

“Her tracer has been deactivated, maybe she needed some time alone man.” Diggle suggested, trying to convince himself as much as Oliver.

“Keep me posted.” Oliver ordered rising from his desk and abandoning work which had occupied most of his afternoon. He cursed and tried calling her again, straight to voicemail.

He almost broke the elevator button hitting it so hard and couldn’t stand still as it wound its way down, as he stepped out into the parking lot he dialled her again, his eyes scanned the lot until he clocked her car.

“Shit” he exclaimed, the chances of foul play were rising by the second. Oliver’s stomach lurched as he heard a familiar sound, Felicity’s cell. He darted towards her car and found her purse on the ground next to it, keys by the door. Oliver processed the sight before him, panic setting in; he bent down to scoop up the purse when a force struck the back of his head. He lurched forward, stars dancing across his vision and face making contact with the cement floor. He heard a crunch as his weight crushed Felicity’s purse, no doubt damaging whatever it contained.

He felt a pinch and his blurry world turned dark.

 

* * *

 

 

Felicity awoke with a throbbing headache, her limbs were stiff and her legs were twisted at an awkward angle. There was a crushing weight on top of her and she couldn’t see a thing.

 

“What the hell” she muttered, barely above a whisper as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. How did she get here? Why couldn’t she move? Was she dead?

‘I am gonna be so mad if this is the afterlife’ she thought to herself. Suddenly she recalled the parking lot and the van. Panic rose and she began to squirm and reach out; she was in a small space, a _very_ small space. Her hand moved down and made contact with…fur?

No, hair. It was a person, a man judging by the size, there was a man crushing her chest.

Felicity Smoak was not one to remain calm when being held by a psycho killer. Tears began to stream down her face and into her hair, stemming from frustration more than panic, there was no way she would be able to free herself if she was pinned down like this.

“Hel…hello?” She sobbed.

She felt movement and the man groaned turning his head and shifting. Felicity gasped, she would know that groan anywhere, she had imagined it countless times under _very_ different circumstances. Oliver. Getting control of her thoughts Felicity tried to awaken him again.

“Oliver? Can you hear me?” His head was resting on her chest, his legs bent awkwardly pressing hers into an unnatural pose, she could feel his breathing against her stomach, it was peaceful, if you can count being trapped under a man in a confined space peaceful, god she was messed up.

“Oliver?” she felt him go tense as he woke, obviously ailed by the same confusion she had felt upon waking in this tiny prison.

“Felicity?” He mumbled voice thick with sleep. God she wished they weren’t in a life or death situation right now.

Oliver opened his eyes and took in his surroundings; it took all of 3 seconds before he became alert. He was in a small space…it felt like the trunk of a car, and Felicity Smoak was underneath him.

“Felicity are you hurt?” he lifted his head as far as he could in the limited space and attempted to find her face in the darkness. His hand found hers and he squeezed reassuringly while the other rested against her cheek.

“Just cramped” she replied, he could feel the moisture left by her tears and he moved his thumb gently and rhythmically against her skin.

He tried to lift himself off of her in order to allow her more room and relieve her of the pressure of his bulky frame but succeeded only in drawing a gasp of pain from her as he twisted her legs even more out of shape.

“I’m sorry” he froze, conscious of her tiny body and the damage he could do if he wasn’t careful.

If Felicity had been able to see Oliver’s eyes she would have seen the storm which had settled in his eyes, but Felicity didn’t need to _see_ Oliver to know the rage that was filling inside him, she could _feel_ him. Every. Single. Inch. His fists clenched and his body tensed, trying to make her as comfortable as possible. She felt his breath on her face and her heart fluttered, accompanied by the usual pang of longing and guilt which kept her grounded…usually.

“You know it would be a lot nicer if you’d relax…well not nicer…I mean you are nice but this isn’t nice…I mean this would be nice if we weren’t trapped in…” Olivers rumbling chuckle ended her ramble and she felt her cheeks warm with embarrassment. Oliver relaxed his muscles and his body moulded to hers.

Felicity’s breath caught in her throat as she pictured the body that was pressed against her, Oliver chuckled again and she realised that she had moaned out loud, her hands pressed to her face in horror. Rather than attempting to find a way out of the trunk they were locked in, she was lusting after Oliver.

This is going to be a loooong night…or day…whatever it was.


	2. Careless Whisper

Oliver shifted over Felicity, his lips brushed against her cheek ever so lightly as his hands felt along the walls of their dark prison. Felicity’s heart stopped, literally stopped beating as she took in his smell and his warmth and the feeling of his soft lips contrasting the prickle of his facial hair against her cheek.

 

She closed her eyes and tried not to picture them tangled this way in her bed…or his…his would probably be better…and softer they could roll around and she could feel the pressure of his soft muscles pressing her into the…

 

“I think…yeah…if we can put enough pressure here we can push the back seats down…if I can just…” Oliver twisted and writhed trying to get a good angle, tearing Felicity from her thoughts.

 

Felicity gasped as his elbow pressed into her ribs.

 

“You’d think they’d at least have the curtesy to put me on top of you” she groaned rubbing her side as the brief ache left her.

 

“Not that I want to be on top of you…I mean right now yes…purely for comfort, I mean why else would I…” she laughed nervously and racked her brain trying to think of something to alleviate the awkwardness she had just caused. If she had been able to see Oliver Queen she would have seen him grin briefly as the mental image she had created passed through his mind.

 

Felicity’s mind wandered from Oliver to the situation they found themselves in; as she did she began to think about oxygen and wondered how long it would last in this tiny space. Panic began to fill her chest the more she considered it.

 

“Is it getting hot in here or is that just me? It feels…how much air do we have in here? Oh my god I’m gonna be found dead in the trunk of a car under Oliver Queen…if they find us at all…”

 

Oliver stopped working on their escape plan when he heard how fast she had begun to speak, and breathe. Concern stabbed at him as Felicity began squirming underneath him.

 

“Felicity calm down” Oliver soothed his hand resting on her head gently smoothing her hair. His face was inches from hers and he radiated warmth.

 

Her throat closed up, dread washed over her and her breathing became fast as she struggled to take in the oxygen she could feel leeching out of the air. The darkness was suffocating her, her chest was tightening and she was emitting strangled cries in the place of words or sobs.

 

“Felicity focus on my voice.” Oliver soothes, he lifts himself to give her what little space he can and presses her hand to his chest tenderly.

 

“You’re having a panic attack, just focus on me, you are going to be absolutely fine” Olivers voice remained steady and Felicity tried to focus her mess of a mind on the soft beating of his heart. As her breathing slowed she heard Oliver softly exhale and his hand on her head slowed its pace until only his thumb traced her hairline back and forth.

 

“I’m ok” she breathed what seemed like an age later. Her hand lingered on his shirt above his softly beating heart, her eyes closed and she acquainted herself with its natural rhythm. Oliver placed his hand over hers and his thumb ghosted her knuckles. She felt his heart rate pick up ever so slightly and smiled. The unexpected tenderness of the moment caught her unawares, she considered how in sync they were, how the rhythmic beating of his heart accompanied the symphony of her mind perfectly, her eyes close and she allowed it to play, just for a second.

 

“We’re going to get out of here” he whispered softly, lingering for a moment longer before his hands slid under her back, producing an audible gasp as he shifted her to his right and he slid to the left.

 

With a little more awkward shifting they now lay horizontally next to one another, Oliver pushed his legs to the back of the car’s rear seats, encasing Felicity’s left leg between them. Taking a deep breath Oliver pulled back and then kicked; the force jolted the car but had little effect on the seat.

 

Grumbling he drew back and kicked again, and again, and again until Felicity had motion sickness, she could feel the heat radiating from him as he pounded it.  She reached out to stop him from overexerting himself when she heard a heavy clunk from behind her as the seat buckled under his pressure. It gave a little and the darkness which had encapsulated them since their abduction was alleviated, if only a little.

 

It was unnatural light which seeped through the gap in the seat, a streetlight maybe? Who would abduct them and then just leave them in the street? Felicity took the opportunity to really look at the man she had been pressed against for what had to have been hours. His eyes were stormy with the effort it was taking to destroy the seat behind her and a sheen of sweat had enveloped his brow.

 

She had to physically restrain her hand to prevent it from wandering over to his cheek, every bone in her body was urging her to touch him, to mould into his chest and…no! Felicity Smoak is level headed woman and does not get swept away by beautiful…strong…slightly sweaty…men.

 

 Olivers efforts continued and the seat bowed to his strength a heavy thud announcing his success.

 

“Oliver Queen you are my hero.” Felicity declared pressing her lips to his forehead before rational thought could prevent her, earning her an affectionate smile from the recipient.

 

It took them a moment to register what happened next; Felicity writhed and squeezed herself through the newly created gap over the backseat. She had to go legs first her pencil skirt hindering her a great deal, as she thudded into the foot space she realized that Olivers efforts had set the car into motion. Apparently their genius kidnappers had abandoned them on an incline, Felicity fell backwards into the front of the car as it tilted, her shoulder hitting the radio and head the steering wheel, George Michael’s ‘Careless Whisper’ filling the air.

 

Had the circumstances been different Felicity would have laughed, but as the vehicle they were both trapped in picked up its pace her mind turned to Oliver rather than the saxophone music which had joined them. Her gaze found his and she saw his eyebrows rise in amusement, the addition of rather cheesy music curving the edge of his lips into a smile, it was just like Felicity to make an escape from imprisonment amusing. He pulled himself forward again and found his belt had become snagged on the seat lever next to him. It pulled at his waist and he stopped, the grin on his face being replaced by irritation, his stomach lurched as the car picked up momentum and he looked up taking in the sight of the Starling River hurtling towards them.

 

“Felicity put on a seatbelt now!” He ordered, as the car came closer and closer to its watery destination. He saw her falter and look at his trapped belt, her first instinct was to help him but she needed to survive the crash to have any chance in the dark waters rapidly coming to meet them.

 

She reluctantly pulled herself upright and into the front passenger seat, which gave her a front row seat of their descent and her stomach churned in protest. Her hand moved up and grasped the seatbelt, shaking she fastened it around herself and cast a worried glance back to Oliver.

 

He nodded, relief softening his brow; his eyes met hers, George Michael’s voice drowned out in the wake of their gaze, he was certain of one thing, if he didn’t make it he wanted to be guided into death by the light in her soft blue eyes.

 

Their breath hitched simultaneously as the car launched itself off the embankment and upwards just as that oh so smooth saxophone chorus permeated the air. Time stood still for a brief eternity and then they impacted the water. Oliver was secured only by his belt as they landed, his upper body slammed into the side of the car, the traitorous leather biting into his waist, he failed to supress a cry as the sharp pain ripped through him.

 

Felicity’s head was thrown backwards as the water hit, it collided with the headrest and sent her glasses flying across the car, her world becoming suddenly blurry.

 

There was a moment of stunned silence before she leapt into action.

 

“Oliver!” She removed her seatbelt and pulled herself towards him, water began pouring into the bottom of the car and the front tilted forward. She shifted him slightly and got to work unbuttoning his belt.

 

“Never thought I’d be doing this” she stammered panic preventing the embarrassment which would have followed her words. As she slipped it off he was pulled free and she lightly smacked his face to bring him to attention. As he focused on her face it was like a switch had been flipped in his brain, suddenly he was alert and ready to act. Felicity let out an audible sigh, there was no way she could’ve dragged his bulky frame to the surface, it wouldn’t have stopped her from trying though.

 

Oliver’s side burned as he pulled himself upright and immediately reached for the door handle, Felicity’s hand landed firmly on his wrist.

 

“It won’t open in the water, we need to go out of the window” the car slipped under the surface of the inky water, silencing the radio and leaving them with the alarming sound of water rushing in through the door frames.

 

The icy water reached Felicity’s waist and she breathed in sharply, the cold shocking her system. Oliver kicked the window and cracks snaked through the glass.

 

“Deep breath” he growled as his foot reconnected. A torrent of icy water spilled into the car pushing them backwards, they hit the other passenger door and the rate at which the car descended increased.

 

The mind numbing cold which had enveloped Felicity rendered her unable to act, her mind blanked and she started to panic. Oliver grabbed her about the waist and thrust her forward she reached for the door and pulled herself forward and out using the window frame.

 

She left the car disorientated and cold, a strong current took her, her stubborn limbs refusing to cooperate as she fought her way upwards, lungs burning. When she finally broke the surface spluttering and coughing, she took in her surroundings and searched desperately for a purchase and, more importantly, Oliver. She was met with nothing but blurred shapes in the darkness making her location of either virtually impossible; her glasses were now settled in their watery grave somewhere below.

 

 “Ol…Oliv…” she spluttered searching her blurry surroundings before slipping under again, the icy water and exertion sapping her energy.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Oliver thrust Felicity forward making sure she was out before he pulled himself after her, the icy water had numbed the pain in his waist but it had also numbed his senses. He focussed his mind on three distinct goals to avoid losing himself to panic.

  1.        Get to the Surface
  2.        Locate Felicity
  3.        Get to Shore



As he left the car he pushed himself up from the roof, propelling himself towards the surface, he reached it swiftly taking in a deep breath and taking a moment to assess his surroundings, his first goal successfully achieved.

 

He scanned the water, aware that he was being carried downstream, he rationalised that Felicity would have been less able to resist the current and would be carried faster due to her size, a factor which would also make her lose heat much more rapidly than himself especially since the water couldn’t be more than 60 degrees.

 

Using the current to carry him thus preserving energy, he surged forward listening and searching for his small friend. Swimming was not his strong suit; in fact he detested it, but being marooned on an island for five years had improved his ability somewhat.

 

 

* * *

 

Felicity wrenched herself to the surface for the third time gasping and spluttering, the cold bit into her hands and they throbbed, her tiny body shuddering violently. She couldn’t think straight, somewhere inside she knew what she needed to do but her brain refused to cooperate, it was taking all her energy just to stay afloat.

 

“Oliver!” She screamed.

 

“Someone…h…help me!” She managed, her teeth clattering together. Had she been able to, she would have cried. Her feet were kicking but she couldn’t feel anything below the knee. At least, for the time being, she was staying afloat. She pulled her arms tightly to herself in an attempt to preserve what little heat remained; she felt the cold permeate right into her centre.

 

As she floated, on the surface, fear and adrenaline coursing through her, her eyes detected movement just upriver from herself. She couldn’t decide whether it was real or imagined but she called out regardless.

 

“H…h…help me” she barely whispered through clenched teeth, violent shivering punctuated every word.

 

 

* * *

 

As Oliver powered down the river he was aware of a numbness developing in his extremities. He struggled to maintain his focus as his energy was leeched into the water around him but he didn’t have time to worry about that while he searched for Felicity, she was his priority.

 

If he’d have blinked he would have missed it, he heard a strangled cry nearby and halted, treading water his wide blue eyes scanned the water.

 

Relying heavily on sound he finally located Felicity, catching sight of her golden hair darkened by the icy water which soaked it. Nothing could have stopped him from reaching her once he had eyes on her, he surged forward, not cold, nor current or even the persistent numbness enveloping his limbs would hinder him.

 

“Felicity…a..are you h..hurt?” he choked as he reached her tiny shivering form. He pressed her body to himself relief washing over him, one hand wrapped firmly around her waist and one on the back of her head gently pressing it to his shoulder and for a moment they became calm, drawing strength from their watery reunion.

 

Felicity wrenched her arms from her shivering body and slid them around his waist, she shivered against him and allowed herself to be held, to be taken in, the fragile walls she had erected around her full heart came crashing down in his arms, she closed her eyes committing this feeling to memory. Oliver Queen, holding off the icy depths which threatening to swallow her with his broad shoulders and firm hold.

 

He pulled back looking at her face, concern in his piercing eyes but a gentle smile on his lips. He was trying to encourage her; she managed a brief shivering smile in return before her blue lips protested.

 

 “We…we’re g..going t..to swim d..down river d..diagonally towards the sh..shore ok?” Oliver managed, with considerable effort. Felicity’s eyes met his and she drew courage from them.

 

“Y..yes” she nodded stiffly, pride displaced the concern in his eyes and they lingered on hers a moment longer before purpose took over. Felicity’s practically hypothermic limbs made it necessary for him to assist her. In one fluid movement he turned her to face upriver, his right arm came under hers and across her chest, hand resting firmly on her left shoulder. He pressed her to his chest gently, muscles tight, keeping her afloat and steady. He used his left arm and the current to guide them towards the shore and, hopefully, help.

 

Felicity rested her stiff arms on his forearm and wished she had the energy to give him a reassuring squeeze. She allowed her body to relax and tried to maintain her grasp on rational thought, she focussed her numbed mind on his laboured breaths, once again allowing the rhythm of their bodies to fall in sync.


End file.
